1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image recording method in which an ink is applied onto an intermediate transfer body to form an intermediate image and the intermediate image is transferred onto a recording medium (hereinafter, also referred to as “intermediate-transfer-type image-recording method”) is known. Recently, there has been an increase in the demand for high-speed printing. Accordingly, an intermediate-transfer-type image-recording method with which a high-quality image can be formed even at a high transfer rate has been studied. In an intermediate-transfer-type image-recording method, the quality of a recorded image is greatly affected by the efficiency of transfer of an intermediate image from an intermediate transfer body to a recording medium.
In order to improve the transfer efficiency, there have been studies on an image recording method in which polymer particles are used (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-045851 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-202515, hereinafter, which are referred to as “PTL 1” and “PTL 2”, respectively). PTL 1 discloses an image recording method in which an aqueous liquid composition including polymer particles having a glass transition point of 47° C. is applied onto an intermediate transfer body, a pigment ink including polymer particles having a glass transition point of 49° C. is applied onto the intermediate transfer body to form an intermediate image, and then the intermediate image is transferred onto a recording medium at a transfer temperature of 80° C., 120° C., or 180° C.
PTL 2 discloses an image recording method in which first polymer particles are applied onto an intermediate transfer body and subsequently second polymer particles having a lower softening temperature than the first polymer particles are applied onto the intermediate transfer body to form a multilayer body formed of two types of polymer particles on the intermediate transfer body, then an ink is applied onto the multilayer body to form an intermediate image, and the intermediate image is transferred onto a recording medium at a transfer temperature between the softening temperatures of the two types of polymer particles.
According to the studies conducted by the inventors of the present invention, the transfer efficiency was able to be improved by recording an image by the intermediate-transfer-type image-recording method described in PTLs 1 and 2. However, an image having a sufficient quality could not be obtained when it was recorded at a high transfer rate that has been anticipated in recent years.
Accordingly, the present invention provides an image recording method with which high transfer efficiency may be achieved.